Presto Recordings of the Year, Baroque (era)

Every phrase, every note of this Op. 109 sounds deeply thought-through...This disc continues the progress of Ólafsson as one of the great individual pianists of our time, imaginative and original... — BBC Music Magazine, February 2026, 5 out of 5 starsMore…

With the exception of the ‘Black Pearl’ variation, which lasts almost ten minutes, this is one of the fastest sets I have ever heard, yet it’s also one of the most enjoyable. Ólafsson draws... — BBC Music Magazine, December 2023, 5 out of 5 stars (Performance) / 4 out of 5 stars (Recording)More…

He’s done it again…it is clear from the outset that this is no lazy selection of favourites…His playing never feels self-indulgent of inappropriate…There is never any doubt that this is Ólafsson’s... — BBC Music Magazine, June 2020, 5 out of 5 starsMore…

I expected this to be good; but just how good it was was still a surprise…Ólafsson creates a ravishing musical sequence. Every track has its own allure, and many reflect a virtuosity which is... — BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2018, 5 out of 5 starsMore…

This is now the benchmark Theodora; it is optimally cast, dramatically intense and luminously beautiful. Its world-class principals use their fine vocal qualities to deepen their characters.... — BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2022, 5 out of 5 starsMore…

Choral and instrumental passages are impressively disciplined and well-characterised throughout...There are countless recordings of this work from which to choose, but every choral music enthusiast... — BBC Music Magazine, June 2025, 5 out of 5 starsMore…

DiDonato is magnificent as Dido, fully understanding how badly her story will end in her first aria as Purcell slides from minor to minor, then sumptuously sorrowful in 'When I am laid in Earth',... — BBC Music Magazine, October 2025, 5 out of 5 starsMore…

The choirs are razor-sharp in their ensemble, and if they seem initially soft-grained (in keeping with Pichon’s essentially intimate approach), their incisiveness eventually locates real venom... — BBC Music Magazine, May 2022, 4 out of 5 stars (Performance) / 5 out of 5 stars (Recording)More…

The [Goldberg] Aria sings without affectation as if to emphasise that what follows isn't about the theme but what happens to it...Unstarchy too is Levit's approach to Beethoven's Diabelli Variations...As... — BBC Music Magazine, January 2016, 5 out of 5 starsMore…

There is much to admire here thanks to Ólafsson’s superb pianism, most notably in Haydn’s Sonata No. 47, Mozart’s little C major Sonata and his Adagio in B minor; his Kleine Gigue goes like... — BBC Music Magazine, November 2021, 5 out of 5 stars (Performance) / 4 out of 5 stars (Recording)More…